A tire that maintains its own pressure

Nothing so ruins a day as having a flat on a truck carrying 60,000 pounds of anything.

Goodyear has taken a big leap forward in developing a solution to this problem with its self-inflating technology for commercial tires.

Unveiled at a German commercial vehicle show recently, the company’s Air Maintenance Technology is not available yet. Fleet testing begins next year, but the obvious benefits are huge.

Fifty percent of all truck and trailer breakdowns involve tire problems, says the company and proper tire inflation can boost tire life and fuel efficiency. Every 10 percent loss in psi results in a one percent loss in miles per gallon, says the company, which on a highway truck could cost as much as $627 per year on a truck that runs 100,000 miles a year. Underinflated tires also run hot and if not corrected can suddenly self destruct.

Since many commercial truck tires run on retreads, Goodyear is designing the AMT tires to perform after a tire is retreaded. The diagram below explains how the AMT works.